Is the BlackBerry Z10 a good buy for Rs 29,990?

More than features, specs and USPs, what was trending just after the BlackBerry Z10 launch in India earlier this year was the price tag- at Rs 43,490. The Z10 was squarely in iPhone 5 territory and BlackBerry India drew more flak than a Luftwaffe bomber flying over London during World War 2 for its pricing strategy.

Cut to today, and the Z10 is now available as part of what BlackBerry India claims is a limited period festival offer for Rs 29,990. The Z10 is no longer the flagship BlackBerry – that title now belongs to the BlackBerry Z30, a new phablet form-factor smartphone that should come to India soon.

It’s no secret that the Z10 didn’t set any sales charts afire. And this is a steep price cut around seven months from launch. So, even as you may have expressed the desire to buy the Z10 but tripped over the price tag earlier this year, is it worth considering the Z10 now, or should you give it a wide berth?

First, let’s deal with the negatives:

The Battle of the Specs

If mere specs are all that you consider when considering a smartphone, you should avoid the Z10, because when compared by mere specs, the Z10 is perhaps obsolete. But hey, some could claim the same about the iPhone 5s on the specs front.

The Z10’s dual core 1.5 GHz processor is no match to the quad-core processors that are available at well under the Rs 25000 mark today on Android smartphones, and I’m not just talking about smartphones made by budget players like Micromax. While the Z10 holds its own with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal memory and support for 64 GB microSD cards, it also falls short on display size and camera specs.

BlackBerry Z10 is seen in this file photo. AP

For instance, you will find HD displays which are much larger than the Z10’s 4.2-inch available at lower price points and even some 13 megapixel shooters as compared to the Z10’s 8 megapixel camera.

However, having said all of this, and while you’re welcome to compare based only on specs, in my opinion, tightly integrated solutions like BlackBerry and the Apple iPhone – where hardware and software is made by the same manufacturer – shouldn’t be compared by specs. If the user interface is smooth and speedy and CPU-intensive apps such as games don’t lag and tighter integration provides improved battery life, a dual-core heart may appear a poorer deal than a quad-core, but in reality may deliver better performance. And performance is what matters.

When looked at from the performance prism, the Z10 has a smooth and quick user interface that doesn’t lag. The display size may be smaller but is gorgeously vivid, and as iPhone sales show, many prefer smaller screens. Let’s be clear- I’m not saying you should prefer a smaller screen; I do, but that’s a personal choice and also thanks to my smaller hands and the fact that the size of the Z10 is perfect for single-handed use. If you want a 5-incher and feel that’s best for your needs, avoid the Z10.

And while the Z10 doesn’t have a 13 megapixel shooter, the 8 megapixel one it has is a competent one with multiple modes and comes with good photo editing software. Plus, the Z10 also has the Time Shift mode, which captures multiple images in a burst and then detects faces in the picture and allows you to choose the best profile shot of each person in the picture with a simple zoom and toggle option. This way, you can ensure no one’s blinking or looking away and you get that perfect group shot you wanted. I find this especially useful when taking a picture of kids who can’t stay still.

The Z10 also has a micro-HDMI port, which is quite useful when you want to connect it to an HDMI port on a TV/monitor or a projector, and not common on many other smartphones.

Million App Challenge

Another issue with the BlackBerry 10 platform is the lack of apps as compared to Android, which has crossed the million app mark and iOS, which is not far behind at around 950000 apps. In my opinion, Apple has the better app store because of strict quality control as compared to the chaos of Google Play, where fake and even malicious apps constantly sneak in. Since Android has over 90 percent of the smartphone market in India, and chances are you are comparing the Z10 to an Android smartphone, you must know that there are over a million Android-based questionable and malicious applications in the wild, according to reputed security firm, Trend Micro. [Disclosure: I use Android too. My secondary smartphone is a Google Nexus 4].

However, the point is that when compared to either, there are only around 132000 apps for BlackBerry 10. Big names like Google Maps, Instagram and popular, trending games like Temple Run or Candy Crush are missing on the official app store BlackBerry World.

That’s definitely a downer and though I have all the four apps mentioned above on my Z10 and they all work well, because the fact is most Android apps can be easily sideloaded through the Google Chrome browser and many perform nearly as well as on Android, that’s not something the common smartphone user will be inclined to do, however easy the sideloading process.

On the maps front, to make up for the lack of Google Maps that’s not available officially through BlackBerry World, BlackBerry India offers the MapmyIndia suite for free, which is a professional, paid maps solution otherwise. BlackBerry execs have also said that BlackBerry Maps which has never worked in India, will also be coming to India in a few months, though I would still prefer the MapmyIndia suite for its accuracy.

All things said, while BlackBerry execs will point to research that most users only use around 15-20 apps, it’s a fact that BlackBerry 10 has a big, big problem on the apps front. But if you’re not one of those concerned with having the latest app that everyone is raving about, and care more about other functions of a smartphone, such as e-mail capabilities, social networking and overall productivity, besides security, the software powering the BlackBerry Z10 has much to offer you.